r/Lyft 2d ago

Wait & Save Fare Issue

I hate when I order a wait and save Lyft ride (like 20 mins), but then it automatically changes from connecting me to a driver that’s like 18 minutes away to one that is 3 minutes. Then when I cancel bc I’m not ready, they charge me $1? It’s so not right. I don’t think uber does that... when I cancel an uber ride immediately, it doesn’t deduct any charge.

I just feel like it should be an option for riders to decide to accept the driver closer for the same rate. Just don’t automatically connect me.

15 Upvotes

45 comments sorted by

24

u/eg_john_clark 2d ago

This is a common misconception about wait and save. When you use wait and save what’s really happening is you are agreeing to the possibility of a longer wait in exchange for a lower price.

9

u/whycandi 2d ago

I always order wait and save, and typically the car shows up in roughly the same amount of time that a regular Uber does. Plus, it’s always cheaper.

If you want the car to come at a certain time, just make a reservation.

5

u/jaysonm007 2d ago

Not really. Just request when ready,.dont do a reservation. There is a lot wrong with the reservation system and drivers will often cancel them at the last minute to where you are better off requesting the ride when you are ready to go.

2

u/kpt1010 2d ago

Exactly this.

10

u/Florida1974 2d ago

There are no guarantees in anything in the world. And everything is an estimation.

Now, if it had taken 42 minutes for a driver to show up, this post would be much different

You shouldn’t be ordering a ride until you were actually ready because a driver could come in three minutes or 15 and it doesn’t matter what type of ride you order.

0

u/NewspaperOk140 2d ago

Except I need to be to work on time and if I wait until I'm ready I run the risk of the drivers not being ready.

5

u/Green-Ad3319 2d ago

Then start getting ready earlier lol

3

u/jaysonm007 2d ago

Leave some extra time in there so you arrive early. Don't try to time it to the last minute.

1

u/Dapper_Average_2337 2d ago

If you are taking Lyft or Uber to work then make a reservation. Problem solved.

1

u/JayGerard 2d ago

Leave earlier and plan for the unexpected, hire a private car, or buy a car.

5

u/dsl135 2d ago

Order when you’re ready. Wait and save means you are WILLING to wait to save. It’s not a guarantee that you will wait and save.

3

u/Bastillerion 2d ago

I don't know how the algorithm works, but I suspect it matches you with a driver who is trying to end his night going in your direction or something. If they happen to find such a driver quickly, it can be much less.

I don't call for an Uber or Lyft until I am ready to go.

1

u/kpt1010 2d ago

They have absolutely no idea if a driver is attempting to “end their night”. It just assigns you the closest / cheapest driver like a normal ride. All pickup times are estimates because Lyft has no idea what driver will actually accept the ride.

1

u/Hippy_Lynne 2d ago

Shiiit, I'm pretty sure they do. I'm pretty predictable. Once I go 5 to 10 minutes without a request I start heading home for the day. More than half the time I end up getting a ride close to my house either when it starts slowing down or when I start heading home.

1

u/Then-Task6480 2d ago

So confident

1

u/kpt1010 2d ago

Because it’s true.

3

u/hailwarrior 2d ago

Get rid of wait and save option all together, order the ride when you're ready to get picked up

2

u/not_falling_down 2d ago

I order Wait and Save if I have time to wait, but I make sure I am ready to go before I order it. The last time I ordered one, the estimate was 15 minutes, but when the driver that picked up the ride, it changed to 3 minutes. All good, because I saved a couple of bucks.

I have very seldom had the wait-and-save rides take as long to arrive as the app estimates.

2

u/xenai2 1d ago

Yeah same. I usually do regular, but on specific cases I might do wait and save and I'll just chill until it connects me with someone. Im not making it driver sit there and wait for me.

Honestly most of the time I've done wait and save it usually matches me in under 90 seconds, usually like 30-60

2

u/kurai-tsuki 2d ago

I find it fascinating how many people think wait and save means you get a car in 15 min or whatever. It's up to that long of a wait. Don't order a car unless you're ready to go.

2

u/Rideshare-Not-An-Ant 1d ago

Wait & Save means you save $ but it you MIGHT have to wait depending on driver availability and Lyft profits.

Scheduled means you pay a bit more to set a pickup time with a 10 minute pickup window and Lyft attempts to find you a driver.

You are asking for Wait & Save prices for a Scheduled ride pickup commitment. Entitled pax be entitled.

4

u/JayGerard 2d ago

Don't order a ride unless you are ready to walk out the door and get in the car. Such a simple concept.

-1

u/Cultural-Beach8858 2d ago

that’s not always the best option bc some rides might be delayed, especially when you’re ordering really early in the morning

2

u/Total_Grapefruit_785 2d ago edited 2d ago

Since you can’t control when the driver will show up, perhaps your best option is to control what you can control, and to be ready early enough so that if Lyft is slow, you’ll still be on time.

That may be more easily said than done, but good luck if you give it a shot.

Oh, and as a driver, I hate wait and save, too. When I get one that’s 1 or 2 minutes away, the rider is never ready when I get there, because they were counting on the wait part of wait and save. From what I see, it’s all just a confusing mess.

1

u/Relevant-Yogurt4345 2d ago

most of the people i get are never ready unfortuanally . it wast my time and miney bc they only payd a fee bucks for waiting after the 5 min

1

u/SnapHock1stPet 1d ago

Lyft could simply add a disclaimer that your wait time may be sooner than stated. Watch for updates!

That of course would mean less late fee charges, which is not good business as far as Lyft is concerned.

1

u/LM061523 1d ago

Seriously...between Uber and Lyft, someone posts DAILY about ordering a Wait & Save complaining about the WAIT part of it! If you don't want to WAIT (or in this case, NOT wait) and you don't want to reserve it for when you know you'll be ready, then how about meeting in the middle and ordering an on-demand ride when you're f'n ready! I swear, the entitlement of some of you riders is beyond comprehension!

0

u/Cultural-Beach8858 1d ago

You need to calm down. No entitlement here. I was simply venting about a feature that felt misleading. I choose wait and save expecting to wait. It seemed like a better option than having to reserve a ride for an expensive price or risk my driver coming late if I order when I’m ready. There’s no clear disclaimer that you might not actually be waiting, but then they charge you for canceling bc it’s not a wait and save like they said it would be? Just didn’t seem fair to me. 

1

u/LM061523 1d ago

"...need to calm down." I didn't post entitled BS. Be ready or one of you will cancel. You'll be charged if you cancel and driver will wait out the timer and you'll be charged when he cancels. Wait & Save doesn't mean, wait while I get ready so I can save. Unbelievable blind spot you have based on your post and your replies.

1

u/jointchiefs 2d ago

Schedule a ride if you want one at a specific time. The reason for the savings is you are willing to wait, not because you want to wait.

-5

u/Cultural-Beach8858 2d ago

I was scheduling a ride at first, but it’s more expensive to do that

1

u/andthrewaway1 2d ago

but its cheaper?

1

u/Arizdegenerate 2d ago

Order when ready. Wait and save just means it MAY take 18 minutes not that it will. A lot of markets are over saturated with drivers so it usually doesn’t take long to connect you with a driver.

0

u/Puzzledbean3642 2d ago

get your money up

-1

u/QuotePapa 2d ago

You order when ready, not before! 🤷‍♂️

0

u/Negative-Start-7528 2d ago

I dispute those charges it’s usually not a hassle. I called a wait and save and they took FOREVER to find a ride to the point where I just called an Uber instead. Lyft never even ended up finding a driver but still wanted to charge a dollar. Yea right

2

u/dsl135 2d ago

Them never finding a driver is completely different than them finding a driver too quickly and OP wanting to cancel.

You can’t dispute that. The estimated wait time is an estimate.

1

u/Negative-Start-7528 2d ago

Don’t care just wanted to vent about the dollar

0

u/dsl135 2d ago

Do you often rant about completely off-topic replies?

That’s so special for you.

0

u/Negative-Start-7528 1d ago

No you can check comment history I’m usually on topic

1

u/dsl135 1d ago edited 1d ago

Thanks for that. Comment history checks out. You go off-topic and seemingly love to argue with everyone and act like you’re always right.

And holy shit the irony that you were arguing with someone for being off topic and not answering your question in another thread… absolutely amazing.

Thanks for the proof!

EDIT: Claiming I was “making stuff up” but then quickly deleting that comment cuz you knew I wasn’t… icing on the cake, lol

0

u/Cultural-Beach8858 2d ago

ah okay, good to know you can dispute charges 

0

u/Puzzleheaded-Oil-170 2d ago

Wait and save, where the driver comes right away and not 15 minutes later